Unbelievable Effects of Exercise on the Brain

Exercising on a regular basis is good for the body. That’s because it helps keep the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular and skeletal systems in tip-top shape. Especially when paired with healthy eating, exercising helps you get rid of excess pounds and maintain your ideal weight, thus helping to keep ward off all sorts of problems linked to obesity.

Did you know that having your regular dose of exercise is also good for the brain? Since bicycling, playing badminton, swimming, dancing, rock climbing, brisk walking and others enhance blood flow to the brain as well as encourage the production of certain brain chemicals, it’s no wonder why exercising is good for the gray matter.

To keep the various systems of your body strong and healthy, make sure that you get your regular dose of exercise — at least 30 minutes 3 to 5 times a week to reap the benefits. You should do the same if you want to keep your mind in an excellent condition. The following are some of the most amazing effects of regular exercise on your brain:

It Makes the Brain More Resistant to Stress

We all know that stress can wreak havoc on both the body and mind. Experts say that regular exercise helps save the brain from the negative effects of stress because it regulates the firing of neurons in areas of the brain that receive the most impact from stress. It’s for this reason why exercising is one of the best stress-busters on the planet.

It Helps Reduce Anxiety

Numerous researches have shown that exercising on a regular basis can help in dealing with anxiety. Some studies also suggest that high-intensity exercise is very good at managing anxiety especially in women. If you don’t want to control your anxiety with drugs that yield unfavorable side effects and nasty withdrawal symptoms, fight it with exercise.

It Lifts the Mood and Controls Depression

Other than anxiety, exercising on a regular basis is also said to help reduce depression. In fact, some experts say that exercise tends to provide the same effect as anti-depressant drugs and therapy. It may not be able to zap depression completely, but exercising can be used as one of the techniques in putting depression to an end.

It Sharpens Your Memory

According to a study, having 30 minutes of exercise can considerably speed the rate at which you store and recall information, although it is said that the accuracy may drop a little. Also, some scientific investigations suggest that regular moderate-intensity exercise is beneficial for one’s long-term memory.

It Helps Reduce Silent Stroke Risk

Just like what the name says, a silent stroke is a kind of stroke that causes damage to a part of brain where there is reduced blood flow but it doesn’t produce any outward symptom. Experts say that getting your dose of regular exercise — cardio, in particular — can help lower your chances of having a silent stroke by as much as 40 percent.

It Actually Promotes a Good Night’s Sleep

Exercising at least a couple of hours before bedtime is definitely a no-no because all the adrenaline in your blood can keep you wide awake. However, having your exercise in the morning or somewhere in the middle of the day can help you sleep much better at night. Insomniacs can benefit tremendously from exercising on a regular basis.

It Keeps Migraine Attacks at Bay

Are you scared of exercising because you might end up with a nasty migraine attack? Then opt for mild to moderate forms of exercise only. If you’re a migraine sufferer, refuse from turning your back on exercising because participants in a study said that bicycling 3 times a week for 3 months helped reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.